Story+1984-09-14+Philadelphia,+PA

”Alright....Friday night in Philly (chuckles)(cheers)....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Atlantic City’:**

”Now....now this is a song....about the Golden Roadway of the east....the New Jersey Turnpike (cheers)....I used to work up in New York City....North Jersey all the time.... I’d get done real late....I’d end up riding down that Turnpike around three, four a.m in the morning (cheers)...(?) radio on....I’d be driving along....thinking ‘bout getting home....seeing my girlfriend...hitting her refridgerator....kissing my girl (cheers).... making a ham and cheese sandwich.....hugging my baby....making a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich (cheers)...making another peanutbutter and jelly sandwich....I used to.... I used to always have to ride that road, now....I was riding home one night....I’d ride off at Exit 8 which is the exit that you get off if you’re going down to....Freehold of the Shore (cheers)....see, right between Exit 8, you gotta ride through Heightstown (cheers)....there’s nothing going on in Heightstown so those guys all they gotta do is sit there by the side of the highway and wait for you all night long....so I got off at Exit 8 one night and I was going down....going down the highway and.....now....I knew I wasn’t speeding....but I must’ve been going suspiciously slow....I was in this white pick-up truck that I had....and all of a sudden I see these red lights in my rearview mirror....now, like I’m one of them people that I always forget my wallet and stuff, I always leave my wallet home (cheers)....so I get pulled over....and a state trooper comes up....Heightstown, Heightstown man comes up and says....says ‘License, registration’....said ‘Uh....I don’t have my license and registration, Sir’ (cheers)..... he takes my name and he goes and sits back in the patrol car.....and in about five minutes he calls me back....and he looks at me and he says.....’Hey....are you....are you....are you that rock and roll singer ?’ (cheers)....I say.....’Yeah, yeah, that’s me, that’s me’, you know.....and he says ....’Did.....are you the guy....did you write that, write that Born to Run song ?’ (cheers)....I say...I say ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s, you know, that’s me, that’s me’....he says ‘Yeah’, he says ‘I got some of your records at home’....I say ‘You do’, he says ‘Yeah....and son, you’re in a lotta trouble’...so he takes me in, impounds my truck.....gives me a ticket...and the worst part of it was I had to go to traffic court... you know, a month later....and when you go to traffic court....there’s always weird people sitting there (chuckles)....and you can only plead....you got your choice, you can plead....guilty....but nobody pleads that ‘cause they don’t, they don’t wanna admit that they did what they did.....and you can plead innocent.....but nobody really pleads that either because they know that they did it....so....the other thing that everybody pleads is ‘guilty with an explanation’ (cheers)...and that means that you did what they said you did but they give you five minutes to bullshit your way out (cheers)....so....so .....you know, everybody’s pleading ‘guilty with an explanation’ and I’m....I’m sitting there....and this guy kinda recognises me and he comes up to me....and....you know, he’s one of those people that like....there’s a whole lotta room on the bench that you’re sitting but he sits like.....almost on your lap or leans into your face.....and you can tell he’s been driving....you know, so finally....finally they call his name and he gets up.... in front of the judge....and he was caught doing.....60 miles an hour on a residential side-street....and....his explanation....he told the judge that he was drunk and he thought he was out on the highway (chuckles)...you know...people, they think the judge is gonna buy that stuff....he should’ve been pleading insanity (chuckles)....but anyway, I get up there, it’s my turn and they call my name....and so I get up in front of the judge.....thinking.....I said ‘Now...Your Honor.....and this is gonna sound a little wild.....but let me....let me start....let me start at the beginning.... (......) Anyway.....I thought it was a good story but the judge wouldn’t buy it.....he fined me and on the way out I saw.....I saw the patrolman that gave me my ticket.... and he just said ‘Son....come on boy....anytime.....´cause out on the highway....we’re open all night....’
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Open All Night’:**

”Yeah, they show no mercy out there....here’s a song.....seems like the hardest thing to do sometimes...as you get older is.....to make that connection again with your folks that....that you might’ve missed when you were a little younger....I remember when I was a kid that.....my dad to me was like something that....was too hard to talk to... seemed so distant from me....and there’s a lotta things in the end that end up not getting said that ought to get said....it’s good to try and catch a hold of ‘em.....before they’re gone, before it’s too late....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘My Father’s House’:**

”This is uh....this is a song about uh....I guess relationships....kinda what happens to ‘em.....you know how it’s when you first meet somebody.....you put on what I call your love-face (chuckles)....now your love-face that’s the face you put on when you first meet ‘em....so that they don’t know what a jerk you’re gonna be later on down the road (chuckles)(cheers)....you know it’s like everything they do is wonderful ....you know you can’t, you compliment each other all the time like ‘Oh honey, you look so beautiful tonight’...and.....like the girls they say ‘Oh, you’re gonna get tired of me’, you say ‘No, I’ll, I’ll never get tired of you as long.....as long as I live’ (chuckles)..... and....and they say ‘Well, I bet you say that to your other girlfriends’ ....you say ‘Yeah but like....I didn’t mean it, I really mean it now’ (chuckles)....you know....then anything....it doesn’t matter what either of youse wanna do like ‘Do you wanna go out or stay home ?’.....’Oh honey, I don’t care what we do as long as I’m with you’ (cheers).....you know....’What movie do you wanna see ?’.....’Oh, I don’t care, honey, anything you wanna see’.....yeah......but anyway.....come back about four or five months later....and sometimes the tune changes.....you know.....’What movie you wanna see ?’.....’I wanna go see Road Warrior’.....’No....I wanna go see Kramer Vs. Kramer’ (chuckles)....’Are you gonna wear that shirt when we go out tonight ?’.... ‘Do I have to sit here all night long and look at your face ?’ (cheers) .....(?)....anyway....ends up...feeling something like this most of time.....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘I’m Goin’Down’:**

”Alright, are you ready to go road-tripping ? (cheers)....Ever been to Darlington County?’
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Darlington County’:**

”It’s Friday night....I’m feeling alright.....now this is a song....about....ancient history (cheers)....and I don’t mean the (?) and....all them crazy guys, I mean....old times, now.....I was watching this Twilight Zone the other night (cheers)....we play so long that by the time I get home, the only thing on is Twilight Zone (cheers).....and the strange thing about it.....it’s only on on my TV.....boo !....anyway I watching this Twilight Zone....and it was the one about this old actor...and like he’s up in.....up in his years.....and all he does is keep thinking ‘bout the old times.....and how great things were when he was....when he thinks he was a young man and....and how, you know, nice everything was....and so all of a sudden.....(plays ‘Outer Limits’)....he gets whipped back into the Twilight Zone....and....when he gets back there....he finds out that everything that he thought was so great wasn’t that great after all....and every-body’s treating him like an old dog and.....you know, he was back.....back where he was.....so anyway the end of the thing.....he comes back into the present time and..... he feels a lot better.....the reason I bring this up.....is that I always meet people that tell me about what a great time I had in high school....you know.....they always tell me ‘Oh, we had so much fun then’.....you know....but.....I seem to remember that in school....I had a lousy time (cheers)....I didn’t have no fun.....had to do homework (boos)....oh, now back when this time of year comes around, I’m still glad that.....I don’t have to go back (cheers)....(?)....but anyway....the only thing that was good about high school is I got interested in two things that are still very near and dear to my....one of ‘em’s the guitar (cheers)....I got good at that one.....the other one....I’m still looking for some volunteers who wanna practise, practise, practise (cheers).....(?) shame on you, alright (chuckles)......gentlemen, are you prepared ?.....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Glory Days’:**

(after the singalong) ‘‘Alright, you’re hired.....pack your bags....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Hungry Heart’:**

”Good dancing, good dancing......(music starts) oh, take me home.....in that Cadillac..”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Cadillac Ranch’ (after ‘Dancing in the Dark’)**

”(?)....this is uh....this is for Little Steven (cheers).....(?)....he put out a record called Voice of America which is a real good record (cheers)....if you haven’t heard it yet..... I think he’s over in Europe tonight so....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘No Surrender’:**

”Now once upon a time.....in a land not too far from here.....long, long time ago.... (.....) There I was....I was still in high school....it was kinda late in the summertime.... I was sitting around in my hometown.....trying to think what I was gonna do with myself.... didn’t know what I wanted to be....didn’t have no direction.....didn’t have no confidence.....didn’t have no girlfriend....I was lost...I was but a man in the wilderness.....I needed some faith.....I needed some hope.....I needed a close physical relationship with a member of opposite sex (cheers)....(?)....so I was walking down Main Street...didn’t know what I was gonna do....all of a sudden I came upon this guy reading a newspaper (cheers)....I kinda started talking to him but.....he just kept reading the newspaper....(cheers) so I sat down next to him....he was reading the Personal Column.....part-time jobs....we got talking.....he said he was out of work..... I said I was out of work .....said he didn’t know what to do with himself.....I said I didn’t know what to do with myself.....he said he was lost and didn’t have no faith.... I said I was lost and didn’t have no faith.....I said I didn’t know any girls....he said he did (cheers).....he told me his name was Clarence ‘He-who-knows-all’ Clemons (cheers)....and figuring that we were kinda in the same boat....he said he’d take me outside of town.....where he knew these two girlfriends of his.....and he´d get me a date (cheers).....so we got in his Oldsmobile.....and we started driving....driving south..... down Route 9 (cheers)....south through the pines....it started raining....started snowing.....then we got hit with a heatwave......and then finally....adding insult to injury....on some dirty backroad....we got a flat tire....we got out, checked the trunk, didn’t have no spare....but he said he knew where there was a gas-station......some- where just....on the other side.....of those woods (cheers)....so into the forest we went....it was dark...it was spooky....sounds like werewolves coming from every place (cheers)....sounds like, like there was lions in those woods (cheers)....sounded like there was homicidal cows (cheers)....sounded like there was killer....killer birds (cheers)....and finally we got deep in the forest....now, Big Man....there ain’t no like.... there ain’t no....like, like big wild animals in here tonight....there ain’t no nothing like that´s gonna....I don’t like wild animals....I don’t like being outside...I think I hear something behind us....there’s.....(Bruce yells)....Clarence....hey, Clarence....oh, Clarence.....hey, Clarence....hey, Clarence.....oh, oh, gee.....jeez....just when things were getting pretty dark.....something came shooting out of the sky....and then over in the clearing....the clouds....pulled away from the moon....and we saw the answer to our quest.....(cheers).....and I knew everything was gonna be alright.....and then as we stood there....beneath the pines.....when we touched......
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Growin’Up’:**

”Ladies and gentlemen....children of all ages....citizens of Philadelphia (cheers).... and whoever the hell else is out there....it’s now time....to be introduced....the illustrious members of the E Street Band (cheers)....beginning.....to my far left....the only member of the E Street Band with a full high school diploma....a gentleman who turned down a scholarship to Harvard University....where he was working on his PHD in unusual sexual practises to join the 1984 tour with the E Street Band.....let’s hear it for the educated, the dedicated, the complicated, the sexually liberated, Professor Roy Bittan (cheers)....and next.....on the vocals....from Long Branch, New Jersey (cheers).... an alumni of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.....the lovely, the beautiful, the talented, Miss Patti Scialfa (cheers)....she’s single, boys....and next, on the drums.... the man who puts the heat in your beat to get you outta your seat and moving your feet....Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums (cheers)....and next, the gentleman that puts the bass in your face, that brings the thunder from down under....his mother was a talent, his father was a talent, Mr.Garry W.Tallent (cheers)....(?) and next on the organ....the inimitable, the inevitable, the incredible, the incourageable, the unbelievable, the immoral, the original sinner....ladies and gentlemen, Phantom Dan Federici on the organ (cheers)....look out girls, he hates to be alone....oh yes....and our newest member from South Jersey (cheers)....Jim the Dancing Man....don’t worry, ladies and gentlemen, he’s completely docile....and now.....I’d like to introduce to you a man.....you seen him in the movies.....no, you ain’t seen him in the movies yet.... you’re probably gonna be seeing him in the movies (chuckles)....but until you see him in the movies....you’re gonna see him right here on our stage....on the guitar, Mr. Nils Lofgren.....(Nils does his trampoline stunt) (cheers)...the man don’t need the movies after that.....and now....a man who you have recently seen on national television (cheers).....he needs no introduction....all I can say is you know him from his own band, The Red Bank Rockers.....so folks, let’s give the man a warm welcome....gimme a C....L...A...R...E...N....C....E....What’s that spell ?....
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, middle of ‘Rosalita’:**

”I’d like to....I wanna just take a minute, thank everybody....for coming down to the show tonight, thank you (cheers).....this is, when I was a kid....(?) the first thing that.... that ever had any impression on me.....was when I heard the music of Elvis Presley (cheers)....and it kinda did something for me that....that.....didn’t get done for me in school or didn’t get done for me ‘round my house or....on the street anywhere .....it kinda set my mind free...so that I could...dream a little bit bigger.....and see those possibilities that I hadn’t thought of....and uh....his music always said to me ‘Let freedom ring’....and....remember it’s something, something that we gotta fight for.... every day....”
 * 14.09.84 Philadelphia, PA, intro to ‘Born to Run’:**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//